New Hampshire Powerball Winner Attempting To Remain Anonymous After Win

posted by Bill Galluccio -

3 months ago

Lawyers for a New Hampshire woman are arguing in court their client has the right to remain anonymous after winning nearly $560-million in a Powerball drawing last month. The winner has yet to turn in the winning ticket but has already signed the back of it, which is required to claim the money. New Hampshire state law says the winner's name, town and the prize amount are all public information.

The state Attorney General's Office is seeking to have the suit tossed according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. Assistant Attorney General John Conforti wrote that her "desire for normalcy and anonymity is substantially outweighed by the public’s right to transparency in the operation of lottery games."

Officials said that because the woman signed the back of her ticket, her name must be released. If she wanted to remain anonymous, she could have had "the trustee of a designated trust" sign the back of the back of the ticket.

New Hampshire state lawmakers are attempting to change the law to protect the privacy of lottery winners. According to WMUR, lawmakers passed a privacy law in 2014 which was vetoed by the governor. While they think they may be able to pass a law to protect the identity of future winners, it might be a tough sell to make it apply retroactively.